Orange County raised me.

I came to Orange County in early 1981 at just 6 months old, and this design is a little piece of that history.

I spent my first 13 years growing up in Anaheim before the rest of my upbringing took me south to Laguna Niguel. But my Orange County memories were never limited to one city. Garden Grove, Stanton, Fullerton and the surrounding neighborhoods were all part of growing up, and later I lived in places including Lake Forest and Corona. I spent so much time around Buena Park that I practically considered myself partially raised there.

So this one is personal.

The back graphic imagines Orange County as a forgotten Southern California consumer brand from the late 1970s—the kind of battered package you might discover buried in an old box after 40 years. Bold orange hand-lettering, racing stripes, aged paper, faded ink and a tiny Southern California landscape give it the character of something that could have actually existed.

On the front, an oversized distressed OC mark pulls directly from the visual language of the back artwork, giving the shirt the feel of old regional brand merchandise rather than a traditional souvenir tee.

The artwork is intentionally worn. Cracks, scratches, faded ink, discoloration, rubbed-away pigment, rough edges and irregular print texture are part of the design.